The Immortal Toad - Eastland County Safety Rest Area - Ranger, TX
N 32° 29.462 W 098° 33.042
14S E 542210 N 3594954
Anybody who's seen the old Warner Bros cartoon with Michigan J. Frog actually is familiar with the basic story of Old Rip the Horned Toad, an Eastland institution whose story is told at the westbound Eastland County Safety Rest Area near Ranger.
Waymark Code: WM12CD0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2020
Views: 2
They're called "Safety Rest Areas" because there are storm shelters to be found, a change from the classical rest stops along the Interstates that are just facilities with picnic areas and vending machines. They are a good place for those on long drives to practice safe habits by taking breaks and taking in some local history, in the form of signs and exhibits for notable attractions in the area. This sign stands near the entrance, and it reads:
It all began in 1897 when the old Eastland County Courthouse was being demolished to make way for a new courthouse. A time capsule containing a Bible, some newspapers and a living horned toad was placed in the cornerstone and then sealed. Then, in 1928, this Eastland County courthouse was demolished so a new Art Deco courthouse could be built on the site. A crowd of thousands came to see the opening of the time capsule. A county judge lifted the small seemingly lifeless lizard from its tomb and held it high. Suddenly, its legs began to twitch and then the crowd grew ecstatic as its whole body began to wriggle. After 31 years, the little toad was alive. A biology team from Texas Christian University examined the toad, found that he was indeed alive and kicking. Renamed Old Rip, for Rip Van Winkle, he became an immediate sensation. Rarely, if ever, has a lizard, dead or alive been so famous. Because of Old Rip's miraculous resurrection, the demand for horned toads boomed, museums and zoos clamored after them. Prices for lizards went from five cents a head to twenty-five cents.
President Calvin Coolidge kept three hundred supporters cooling their heels while he paid a visit to the immortal lizard. But sadly, nearly a year later, Old Rip croaked. An autopsy showed he had died of pneumonia. He was embalmed and placed in a velvet-lined coffin. Whether the story of Old Rip's survival and resurrection is true or was an elaborate hoax is subject to some debate. But still, after nearly 100 years, tourists come to visit the Eastland County Courthouse where the remains of the immortal toad lie in state.
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Insets feature photos of President Coolidge and his wife, Grace, as well as "the big moment" when Old Rip was removed from the old cornerstone.
Group that erected the marker: Eastland County
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Eastland County Safety Rest Area
I-20
Ranger, TX USA
76470
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.